Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) Given New $180.00 Price Target at Evercore ISI

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) had its target price increased by Evercore ISI from $140.00 to $180.00 in a research note published on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an in-line rating on the specialty retailer’s stock.

A number of other research firms have also issued reports on WSM. TD Cowen boosted their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, September 16th. Loop Capital boosted their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $145.00 to $180.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $158.00 to $145.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, August 19th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $136.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, Barclays boosted their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $116.00 to $123.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Thursday. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have given a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $154.41.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE WSM traded up $1.33 during trading on Thursday, reaching $173.82. The stock had a trading volume of 139,044 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,960,403. The stock has a market cap of $21.96 billion, a PE ratio of 20.46, a P/E/G ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 1.76. Williams-Sonoma has a one year low of $90.31 and a one year high of $181.42. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $143.08 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $144.74.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 22nd. The specialty retailer reported $1.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.61 by $0.13. Williams-Sonoma had a net margin of 14.29% and a return on equity of 51.57%. The company had revenue of $1.79 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.81 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.56 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 4.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts expect that Williams-Sonoma will post 7.95 earnings per share for the current year.

Williams-Sonoma Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 22nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, October 18th will be given a dividend of $0.57 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, October 18th. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.31%. Williams-Sonoma’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 26.97%.

Insider Transactions at Williams-Sonoma

In related news, CEO Laura Alber sold 40,000 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $145.27, for a total value of $5,810,800.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 1,030,956 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $149,766,978.12. This trade represents a 3.73 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Karalyn Smith sold 11,100 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $134.66, for a total value of $1,494,726.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 15,150 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,040,099. The trade was a 42.29 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 91,100 shares of company stock valued at $12,525,126 in the last quarter. Insiders own 1.50% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Williams-Sonoma

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Motley Fool Asset Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 4.4% in the first quarter. Motley Fool Asset Management LLC now owns 1,225 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $389,000 after purchasing an additional 52 shares in the last quarter. Quent Capital LLC lifted its position in Williams-Sonoma by 19.7% in the 1st quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 358 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $114,000 after buying an additional 59 shares in the last quarter. EntryPoint Capital LLC boosted its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 520.0% during the 1st quarter. EntryPoint Capital LLC now owns 93 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 78 shares during the period. Smithfield Trust Co grew its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 100.0% during the 3rd quarter. Smithfield Trust Co now owns 160 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 80 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Diversify Advisory Services LLC increased its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 2.6% in the third quarter. Diversify Advisory Services LLC now owns 3,226 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $500,000 after acquiring an additional 81 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.29% of the company’s stock.

About Williams-Sonoma

Williams-Sonoma, Inc operates as an omni-channel specialty retailer of various products for home. It offers cooking, dining, and entertaining products, such as cookware, tools, electrics, cutlery, tabletop and bar, outdoor, furniture, and a library of cookbooks under the Williams Sonoma Home brand, as well as home furnishings and decorative accessories under the Williams Sonoma lifestyle brand; and furniture, bedding, lighting, rugs, table essentials, and decorative accessories under the Pottery Barn brand.